Why You Should Hold Your Next Meeting in Fresno County

By BARRY EITEL

California is much more than San Francisco and Los Angeles, two expensive locations for meeting and event planners looking to attract a large and diverse crowd to a conference or other meeting. Fresno County is a culture-forward and cosmopolitan option, yet it is far more affordable than many other cities in the state.

Centrally located near natural marvels like Yosemite National Park, Fresno County enjoys over 300 days of California sunshine each year – all reasons why gatherings in this Central Valley hot spot often enjoy higher attendance compared to other cities in the state.

Fresno County Favorites

Fresno County is packed with attractions that are unlike anywhere else in the state. Window shopping among the boutiques of Old Town Clovis or Fresno’s Tower District can fill several lazy afternoons.

Other notable attractions include the Shinzen Japanese Garden, a relaxing garden constructed to honor Fresno’s Sister City, Kochi, Japan. A whole day could be spent wandering the manicured landscape or staring into the koi pond.

Another uniquely Fresno option is the Forestiere Underground Gardens, a network of underground rooms and gardens hand built by one man, Baldassare Forestiere, between 1906 and 1946.

Fresno Chaffee Zoo is also worth a visit, sprawling over nearly 40 acres and housing almost 200 different species of animals. Admission is $10 or less, making it one of the most affordable zoos in the country.

California Cuisine

California is beloved for its food, with diners from across the planet clamoring for seafood fresh from the Pacific Ocean, farm-to-table dishes created with ingredients from the state’s bountiful landscape, and gastronomic experiments served by some of the most adventurous chefs in the industry. Fresno County is no exception.

In fact, there are several buses that run throughout the day between Fresno County and this trio of parks.

Yosemite is home to several breathtaking rock formations like the granite cliffs of El Capitan and Half Dome. The park also features miles of hiking trails and multiple waterfalls worthy of anyone’s Instagram. The rushing Kings River runs through Kings Canyon, which is also home to countless pristine lakes. Sequoia, of course, is beloved for its famous giant sequoia trees. It’s the home of the tallest living thing, the General Sherman Tree.